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Flatbread with Ricotta and Pomegranate Salsa

I decided to make this Flatbread with Ricotta and Pomegranate Salsa this week (’tis the season for pomegranates) and it was so good, I wanted to share it with you along with one of my personal tips on using shutter speed.

What’s the difference between flatbread and pizza, anyway? Have you ever wondered this? Is it the dough? Is it the shape? Is it just a play on words to make a recipe sound different? Pizzas and flatbreads are one in the same if you ask me. They require pizza dough, your choice of ingredients and a nice hot oven or grill.

I recommend preheating your oven to 450 degrees F and allowing a pizza stone or baking sheet to preheat with the oven for about an hour beforehand. It ensures the surface is very hot and will make for a much faster cooking process when you’re ready to eat.

This was also the first time I’ve de-seeded a pomegranate. Have you done it before? It’s actually pretty fun. Here’s how I did it:

How To De-Seed a Pomegranate1. Carefully cut around the middle of the pomegranate without cutting all the way through like you would an orange.
2. Separate the two halves with your hands to reveal all of those gorgeous, vibrantly red seeds tucked inside.
3. Hold one half over a bowl with the seeds facing into the bowl.
4. Grab a wooden spoon and tap the sh** out of it until the seeds fall into the bowl.
5. You can also squeeze the pomegranate as you tap to help move those deeper seeds along.

Pretty easy!

Once my pizza stone was hot and the dough was rolled out, I lightly brushed it with olive oil and pierced the dough with a fork so it wouldn’t puff up too much in the oven. The dough got golden and crispy in about ten minutes, but I recommend you keep an eye it since it cooks so fast.

For the layers, I spread the ricotta all over the pizza and then topped it with a bunch of fresh, baby arugula. After I cut the flatbread into slices, I sprinkled the pomegranate salsa over each slice. I like this layering approach because it ensures that each slice has all the flavors of the cheese, arugula and that tasty salsa.

I hold my camera during part of my photo shoots so I can move around to get different angles and find unique compositions. However, I have a rule that I don’t let my shutter speed get below 1/100 of a second when I’m holding the camera. This is because I’m trying to avoid potential camera shake. There are different rules for this, however. You may read that if you’re using a 50mm lens, you can go as slow as 1/50 of a second while holding your camera. You may read that someone else never goes below 1/200 of second. In my experience, however, if I need to shoot lower than 1/100, I will use my tripod.

PREPARATION
1. ​Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven and allow to warm for 1-hour.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, serrano, cilantro, lime juice and mix well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Place flatbread or rolled out dough on parchment paper for easy transitioning into and out of the oven.
6. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil before placing in the oven.Note: You could also brush the crust with an egg wash to get the crust a little extra crispy.
7. Toast the dough until the edges are lightly toasted, about 5-10 minutes.Note: Oven temps are different, so be sure to keep an eye on it, because it will cook fast.
8. Remove the dough from the oven and place on a cutting board.
9. Spread ricotta lightly and evenly over the warm flatbread.
10. Sprinkle a bunch of arugula over the ricotta and cut into serving pieces.
11. Top each slice with pomegranate salsa.

This sounds amazing! What a fresh take on using pomegranate. Adding a hint of spice with the serrano? Sold! This is a must make for us. I always de-seed my pomegranates submerged in a bowl of water to avoid the murder-scene splatter.

That’s a great tip, Kik! I saw someone use a bowl of water and I loved how the seeds sink to the bottom and the pit pieces will float to the top. Makes it easier to separate… and a lot less “murder-scene splatter!” Ha!